


Happiness

by longkissgnite



Category: American Idiot - All Media Types, American Idiot - Green Day (Album), American Idiot - Green Day/Armstrong
Genre: Post depressive spiral but pre canon, The (closeted) gay man named his cat Pussy isn’t he funny, Will is eighteen here, this is really just Will getting to have some genuine happiness that’s it that’s the fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-02
Updated: 2020-06-02
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:55:01
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,513
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24512677
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/longkissgnite/pseuds/longkissgnite
Summary: Will briefly reflects on how much easier things have gotten since he got out of his depressive spiral, with the help of his cat to remind him of happiness.Set in July of 2002.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 2





	Happiness

Things were… they were getting easier. Will was supposed to remind himself that every time he got too frustrated or upset, that sure it’s hard but it’s easier than it was. It was working too, he took a step back inside through his window from his fire escape, taking a deep breath and going quiet after just calling for his cat. He knew naming her Pussy would come back to bite him, he must look ridiculous yelling it gently from his fire escape; but honestly the name made him happy, even if it was a stupid joke. And /usually/ she responded, came when she was called, but not tonight. Every so often she did that though, would come back later than he’d like, expecting to be let back in (she always was). So, he reminded himself of that too, it was easier.  
He left the window open just enough for Pussy to be able to come back in. The screen for it had long since been removed, he took it out once to let her out and just never got around to putting it back, he’s pretty sure that works better for them anyway. It made it easier on them.  
He’s tried keeping a list of all that’s changed for the better or gotten easier since his disownment, it’s not the longest but it’s getting there, he’s making /progress/, for the first time in his life he’s really starting to feel /better/ and it is the best feeling in the world, he’s pretty sure.  
The first thing on his list is he moved out, obviously, but it was a struggle to get that footing. Once he had it he gripped it tight, but the first few weeks were difficult. Staying with his friend Cody just to avoid Johnny; sometimes crashing at Tunny’s not quite abandoned apartment to avoid Cody, only to have to deal with Tunny’s friend, Cricket. It was a frustrating few weeks, but he found an apartment right after Christmas, and moved in on New Year’s Eve.  
It was a week into living on his own that Cody brought him the cat from a rescue, a two year old orange thing that was declawed. Will didn’t want her, he hardly knew how he could take care of himself now but Cody made a good argument. “They were going to put her down, I can’t keep her and she needs a home as much as you need a roommate.” That has made Will laugh, what made him laugh even more is before he could say it, Cody was talking again, like he could read his thoughts. “And no, I won’t be your roommate, your place isn’t big enough to raise a kid.” It was nice that Cody could fill in what he wanted to say without a word being spoken from Will, it was one of the things he liked so much about him. The other thing was just how caring he was for his son, Hercules always came first no matter what, Will appreciates that.  
Since then, he “reluctantly” kept the cat. Claiming that one of these days he’d just drop her off at Cody’s and be done with her. But that was in January and now it was nearly mid July, Pussy wasn’t going anywhere and that’s how Will likes things.  
If only the stupid thing would come when called.  
He moved back from the window entirely, going to sit on the couch. He considered putting on the tv, but the idea of having noise felt like too much so he stared at the blank set.  
The second thing on his list was him and Johnny were speaking again. It took months, but they finally did come back around. Will felt terrible because he wasn’t there for Johnny through grieving his father, but he was sure he wouldn’t have been much emotional support anyway. Plus, Tunny was still around when it happened, he helped more than Will ever could’ve.  
And then it was the third thing on the list, Tunny was released from jail. It had taken them time to make up, but it made things easier now that they had. In less than a month into speaking again Tunny had let Will give him a new tattoo, and fix up the ones he had gotten in jail. The lines just weren’t to Will’s liking, but they were now.  
The fourth thing was the therapy he was doing now, it probably was why everything else was easier, although he was hard to accept that. With therapy came antidepressants too, they worked wonders, Will was sure. Not that he wanted to be admitting to anything being wrong, but taking the medicine really had helped and he hasn’t even been on it for more than two months yet. He still wasn’t so good at /talking/ during therapy, but he wasn’t good at talking anyway.  
Sometimes, just to test his luck, he’ll bring Pussy into the therapist’s office with him. She’d been considered a “therapy animal” within three sessions, mostly because it meant she could live with him without issues from the landlord, but his friends were insistent she really did help him. He didn’t see it, it was nice to have company, sure, but he didn’t see how that actually helped him.  
In the last month and a half he had even lightened up on smoking, he wasn’t even sure if he had had a cigarette today. It was good, he felt good, he felt better. Compared to how he was just a few months ago, he was millions of times better, he /wanted/ to be here. He wanted to keep getting better.  
He heard a sound behind him, the blinds being hit and for a moment assumed it was just the cat coming in, but then there was a crash and plop that was no doubt his clumsy cat coming in. She didn’t even have claws, but she made it up and down the one story fire escape easy enough. Now turning around she had chased a bird in and was going after it. It just made Will laugh for a moment, she was a terrible hunter from when he watched her but she always tried.  
He went and picked her up, focused on the cat for the moment. He held her tight and pushed his face against her fur. He liked how she let him do these things, he hadn’t seen any other pet that allowed themselves to be manhandled and he was glad Pussy trusted him enough to do so.  
But the moment wasn’t a long one, there was still a damn bird in his apartment. So he set her down on the couch, made sure she stayed there before going and opening the window fully, hoping it’d encourage the bird to fly out.  
This wasn’t the first bird she’d brought in, but it was certainly the most lively. She seemed to have a knack for getting blue birds, it made him wonder if the cat had picked up on his favorite color, and the consideration made him happier than he cared to admit.  
One of the birds she had brought in was injured, although he doubts still that his gentle cat actually hurt them. He’s pretty insistent that she found them injured and brought them in to help them. Although there wasn’t much help for them, the two did /try/, and that was good enough for Will.  
Trying seemed to be good enough more and more often.  
Since the open window didn’t encourage the bird enough, he started chasing it around and swatting at it, occasionally jumping up to really get it since it flew higher than he could actually reach. He heard the damn cat meowing and shook his head as he continued. “It’s your damn fault it’s here, don’t complain,” he wanted to sound stern with the animal, but he was laughing.  
And he was still laughing when he tripped on his own feet and fell on his ass, watching right after as the bird flew out. At least it was gone. Pussy jumped from the couch and down onto his lap, and he gently shoved her away making her start to knead against his leg.  
“When you start paying rent you can bring new roommates over, until then you gotta stop that.” But he was still laughing, and the cat moved up to press her head on his cheek, which he only leaned into. She was definitely good company, she knew him as well as any friend he had. “I mean it, no more birds, even blue ones.”  
She just meowed in response and he laughed and shook his head, nudging her one more time before just petting her, staying seated on the floor. It was /always/ blue bird she brought in though, and he can’t really remember seeing those before he moved here. Maybe it was some sign, some sign that things really are getting better. After all, people always said blue birds meant happiness, and wasn’t sitting laughing with his cat pretty happy?


End file.
